New Delhi:

The Congress on Sunday released the list of star campaigners who will campaign for Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections.

The names of campaigners include Congress’s top leadership- National President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The list also includes names of some former Chief Ministers from the party.

Ashok Gehlot, Digvijay Singh, Bhupesh Baghel, Harish Rawat are included as the star campaigners.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy will also campaign for the party in Uttar Pradesh.

Ajay Rai, Salman Khurshid, Sachin Pilot, Rajiv Shukla, Imran Pratapgarhi, Deepender Singh Hooda, Raj Babbar, Supriya Shrinate and Alka Lamba are also included.

Earlier, the Indian National Congress (INC) released a list of 27 star campaigners on Saturday for Jammu and Kashmir, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others.

Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases beginning April 19.

Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases.

Voting for phases one and two will be held on April 19 and April 26. Next, the state will once again poll in phases three and four on May 7 and May 13.

The Uttar Pradesh electorate will also vote in phases five, six and seven on May 20, May 23 and June 1 respectively.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Ahead of the Telangana election all eyes are on the Congress as it bids to consolidate votes against the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi by reaching out to opposition leader YS Sharmila. The YSR Telangana party leader met the Congress’ Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi but she has since then neither confirmed nor denied speculation of a merger. 

Also, despite repeatedly saying her focus is on Telangana, there is buzz that Ms Sharmila – who is Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister – may cross family lines next year, when her brother’s state votes.

“Met Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi… constructive discussions took place. The daughter of YS Rajasekhar Reddy will work relentlessly towards benefitting the people of Telangana,” she told reporters after talks with the Congress leaders, declaring, “I can say one thing… countdown for KCR (Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) has begun.”

Ms Sharmila stressed her “one-point agenda is to end KCR’s rule in Telangana”.

READ | Amid Speculation Of Merger With Congress, YS Sharmila Meets Sonia Gandhi

The daughter of a former Congress chief minister, YS Rajasekhar Reddy, Ms Sharmila started the YSRTP in July 2021 with a promise to bring the YSR family, or ‘”Rajanna Rajyam” to the state – one in which both she and her party are electorally untested. As part of efforts to fulfill that vow, she went on a 3,800-km march through Telangana to target the ruling party.

“All my efforts are for Telangana. I am doing everything to improve the condition of the people.. so they benefit from the formation of Telangana,” she said after the Delhi trip.

“No Idea”, Says YSRTP

Interestingly, when contacted, YSRTP spokesperson Konda Raghava Reddy said the party’s senior leaders were unaware of Ms Sharmila meeting the Gandhi family in Delhi.

The YSRTP boss has, in the recent past, met other Congress leaders, including now-Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and General Secretary KC Venugopal. The talk then was around securing a Rajya Sabha seat or help in taking on her brother in Andhra Pradesh.

Mr Reddy has distanced himself from his sister’s political activities. After his father’s death he had broken away from the Congress to launch the YSR Congress Party in September 2009 and he did not attend his sister’s party’s launch.

READ | Jagan Reddy’s Sister Launches Party In Telangana, He Stays Away

How Would YSRTP + Congress Work?

If Ms Sharmila does, in fact, merge with the Congress, it could help consolidate anti-BRS votes in pockets where she has emotional appeal, especially among YSR loyalists. She may want to contest from Palair in Khammam, where the Congress has some influence but may need to a profile boost. Alternatively, she may also run from Secunderabad.